Head of House
by MarcusWolf828
Summary: What are the duties of the Head of Slytherin House? Does Severus Snape face things the other Heads of Houses do not? yes.


Disclaimer: If you realy think that I could possibly ever claim to own Harry Potter you've probably been in space for the past 7 years. 

Author notes: Takes place Harry's 6th year. After OotP.   
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! 

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"While you are here, your house will be like your family."   
-Professor McGonagall   
  


Severus Snape hated being head of Slytherin House. 

He wanted the job, surely. Someone had to do it, and perhaps it was the fact that he was a Slytherin that caused him not to trust anyone else for the task. 

There are demons in the dungeon of Hogwarts castle that not everyone can see, after all. 

The night sky was darkening, and Snape stood on a hill overlooking the lake, waiting for the arrival of the boats that would usher in a new group   
of students to the school. 

It was the start of a new term. Soon after saying goodbye to his 7th years, Snape would have to welcome in a new group of wide-eyed faces into his house. 

As for the graduates, the Professor hoped that he had done enough to shape some of them into relatively healthy, mature, individuals of the wizarding world. Some... he knew he couldn't have reached. 

It was with a sad, sort of anticipating, dread that made him read the obituaries of the Daily Prophet first, every day, Looking for a farmiliar name or face. He remembered every one of his students' names; every single one. He prided himself for getting to know them - not for who they appeared to be, but who they are - or were in some cases. 

The train whistled in the distance, and Snape knew it was time to return to the castle. He took one last look around, before leaving the hill, drawing in the peace the land radiated before he would be again tainted by the woes that the head of Slytherin House must endure. 

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He entered the great hall to find most of the other professors already there. 

"Evening, Severus," said Madam Hooch as Snape sat down in a chair next to her. He nodded curtly in her direction in responce. 

Students began filtering in, and the noise level in the great hall was rising. Snape's eyes wanterd to his own house table, and recognized faces of the year before. 

Randall Maddock and Vance Ulrich were sitting accross from each other, talking. They both played on the Quidditch team. Aidan Farrell, a prefect, was standing by the door, ushering people in. Sixth year Draco Malfoy was striding along the table to find a seat between Vincent Crabb and Gregory Goyle. 

I swear those two are having a secret romance, thought Snape, Back in thier second year I found them in a closet, half naked, with no recolection as to how they got that way. 

Soon the hall was filled, and everyone became quiet, as they saw Proffessor McGonnegal walking into the hall with a string of first years following behind her, looking not unlike a proud mother duck. 

She stopped and turned to face the great hall when she had reached the front of the hall. "Before we begin, Headmaster Dumbledore would like to say a few words..." 

Snape watched the Headmaster give his ussual announcments, and with a small amount of anxiousness, watched the first years be sorted. 

He studied each face and memorized each name that the Sorting Hat called as Slytherin. And in the end, he had seven new students.   
Smaller number than ususal. I suppose that's a good thing. 

"Rather small group, isn't it Severus?" spoke Proffessor Sinistra, to his right. 

"I suppose so," he said non-chalant, to her. 

The meal ended with those having been the only words spoken by the potions master, and He headed down to the dungeon to greet his new students in his office. 

The prefects knew where to bring them. Slytherin first years always made a slight detour on the way to the dormitory. It was a tradition that he started the year he became head of house. 

Snape unlocked his office door with a flick of his wand and entered, waiting patiently behind his desk. No sooner had he sat down as he heard the students approaching, their hushed voices asking each other what was going on, and thier footsteps quickening to catch up with a striding prefect. 

Aiden Ferrall rapped lightly on the doorframe. "Proffessor Snape? I've brought the first years for you, sir." 

"Thank you Mr. Ferral, show them in." he said, standing. 

Every year it surprized the potions master how young the first years always looked. Thier eyes were bright and curious, some of them scanning the jars of unknown potions ingredients on the shelves with looks of disgust. Snape inwardly smiled at that. 

"Line up here," Snape instructed, gesturing to the area immedietly in front of his desk. "Tell me your names, starting with you." he pointed at a young man to the left. 

"Broderick Whitterby." said a short, skinny boy with buck teeth. 

"Clovis Rylan." 

"Edward Bowmen." 

"Ignatius Fairfax" said a smart looking boy with firey red hair. 

"Julian Winters IV" a boy said proudly, pointing to his family crest.   
Ah, so there's the Winters family I have heard so much about. I went to school with Julian Winters III, and his strange, Gryffindor sister, but I thought he was dead... 

"Lorin Rigg, sir" said a girl timidly, looking at her shoes. 

"Skylar Maitland" said another, playing with the buttons on her robe out of nervousness. 

"Very Well," said snape, pacing in front of them. "It is imperetive that you listen carefully to what I am about to say as I will only be telling you this once." 

Seven faces turned to look him at once. Good listeneres, thought Snape, we'll see how long that lasts. 

"My name is Professor Severus Snape. I am your head of house." he stopped pacing and turned to face them. "There are rules in this house which you must follow.   
There are also priveleges associated with this house..." some eyes brightend up at this. "...and I can take them away at any time I see fit." 

"Your house is like your family, and you will treat each member of this house with respect. If you have a problem with another member of this house, you come to me, and only me." he paused a moment for emphasis. 

"If you have a problem with a member of another house, you come to me. If you have a problem with another professor you come to me, and If you have a problem with potions assignments, you come to me. If you have any problem which you cannot solve by your own means you come to me. Do you understand?"   
A few scattered nods and "Yes sir's" followed. 

"Secondly, this office is a sanctuary. When you don't know where to go, you come here. When you think someone is following you for malicious purposes, you come here, and when you come here, you are not to touch anything besides this chair," He pointed to a chair accross from the desk near the window.   
"I'll know when you're here and meet you here, and I'll know if you touched anything. Don't abuse this priveledge or it will be taken away." 

Snape gave them a stern look to tell them that he was serious. Some of them looked more nervous. 

"If there is an emergency in the middle of the night, you tell a prefect, the prefect will come find me. do not come looking for me yourself, or house points will be taken away for being out of the dorms at night." Snape looked up at Aiden who was standing in the doorway, He nodded, and Snape nodded back.Prefects of Slytherin house knew where Snape's living quarters were, in case of emergency. 

"Lastly," The Professor leaned back against the desk. "There is something I cannot order you to do, but I would like your cooperation with." 

Seven sets of eyes looked either confused or curious. 

"I'm asking you to trust me. Trust me, at the times you can trust no one else. I was also a student of Slytherin House at one time, and I understand more than you know." 

Snape stood straight again and crossed his fingers lightly in front of him. 

"With that said, Mr. Ferrell will take you to the dorimitories. Goodnight." 

Aiden immdietly took the task of rounding up the small students and leading them out of the room. 

The Professor closed the door after them, and sighed. With the impending war, how many of those Seven would not graduate? How many would turn to the Dark Lord and turn against thier fellow students? How many would stay true to the light and die, facing thier friends in battle? 

Snape found himself unconciously rubbing the abomination on his arm through his sleeve. When he realizied it, he withdrew his hand sharply, refusing to dwell on old mistakes. 

He made his way to a door to the side of his desk. If anyone opened it, it would appear to be an empty storage closet, but Snape stepped into it, walking through the barrior to his private chambers. 

As he stepped into his living room, he saw the day's Daily Prophet flipped open to the obituary section he had been reading that section. He picked it up again, and scanned the page for the name he had recognized before. Alton Gray, a graduate from eight years ago, was dead. 

He was killed, according to the Daily Prophet, by "unknown disguised persons" who used unforgivable curses. 

Alton was rare... he never once turned to the dark lord. Even when he was faced with being forced out of his home by his father. 

Snape returned the newspaper to it's place on the table and proceeded to his liquor cabinet. A dusty bottle of Ogden's Old Fire Whiskey stood half empty. 

The potions master, very much aware that alcohal is used in the concoction of at least five differnt poisons, took it down and poured himslelf a shot of it. 

May those that killed you roast in hell for eternity, Alton. 

He threw back the shot and quickly put the whiskey away, hoping that the alcohal would help him sleep. First day anxiety, was not a phenomena that limited itself to students. 


End file.
